Reviewed by Taylin

TITLE: Is It Over Yet?

AUTHOR: L.A. Witt

PUBLISHER: Self Published

LENGTH: 176 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 8, 2019

BLURB:

Rhys Powell and Derek Scott are divorcing. Mistakes have been made, lines have been crossed, and there’s no going back. Both men are exhausted and ready to move on.

But their daughter is getting married soon. In the name of not putting a damper on her wedding, Derek and Rhys agree to keep the divorce on the down-low and show up as the happy couple everyone still believes they are.

And between a roller coaster of a road trip and the love and joy surrounding the wedding… Derek and Rhys just might remember why they fell for each other in the first place.

Are they only kidding themselves? Or can a rekindled spark really light the way to forgiveness?

REVIEW:

Divorce is never simple. It can be messy and heartbreaking. As the blurb says, the marriage between Rhys and Derek is over. But, before going their separate ways, they must put on a front for their daughter’s wedding. I hoped from the description that this was a story destined to give my emotions a workout – and I wasn’t wrong.

Is It Over Yet, is told in the first person with alternating chapters from Rhys and Derek’s pov’s. On the whole, I’m not a fan of this format, as I get lost with who is talking at the time. Not so, with this story. The author writes in such a way that I was fully cognizant with the chapter’s identity at all times.

While reading, there’s an immediate sense of sadness, which, in one respect, made my heart heavy and in another, look forward to a crackin’ story. Gilt, stress, desperation, and regret are never far away. Though, I howled with laughter at a scene where Rhys and Derek’s daughter, Vanessa, had a run in with her to-be mother-in-law about not wanting kids. It also made a welcome relief as for most of the story tears were but a blink away.

Rhys openly and completely shoulders all the blame for the breakdown of their marriage. After all, he cheated. Many a person would say, tough shit, you created your bed, now lie in it. Usually, I’d be there with the chorus. But not in this case. Rhys recognizes what he did was wrong and has cried every night since it happened. Again, a host of people would say – and so he should.

On the one hand, I loved this story as it kept me on the brink of tears and I love nothing better in a story than to have an emotional workout. However, as the arc progressed, I found myself saying in my head “Hold on a minute, you’re missing all the facts here.” And I ended up rooting more for Rhys than Derek. Not that Derek is a bad man – far from it. Derek loves Rhys with all his heart and the explicit scenes reinforce this aspect. It’s the betrayal Derek can’t get over. It’s the betrayal that Rhys flagellates himself over too.

I appreciate that it was Rhys who cheated by sleeping with a guy, once. There were problems between him and Derek. Not that cheating is the solution. Upon Rhys’s confession, Derek retaliated by doing the same, and that aspect seems to have been swept under the carpet i.e. how Derek felt about sleeping with someone he shouldn’t. All the focus is on Derek being able to trust Rhys again. A valid reason it is too. And while getting the motive out of Rhys for cheating is like getting blood out of a stone, the focus of the story is the act rather than the why. It takes two for a marriage to break down. Considering, the story is told from two viewpoints; I found the arc a touch one-sided. Maybe it’s because I’m a Libra, that I like to see balance, but I felt angry on Rhys’s behalf that Derek’s part in their marriage breakdown wasn’t addressed.

The wedding is the catalyst for arguments, laugher, reflection, light bulb moments, and a host of other emotional drama. It made for super entertainment. Therefore, if anyone wants to read a book that seriously pulls at the heartstrings and will be an excellent candidate for group discussion – then this is it. Despite the lack of balanced arguments, Is It Over Yet, was a story that I couldn’t put down until I turned the last page.

RATING:

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